The nights in the Divine Capital are much quieter than the days.
The hustle and bustle of the streets gradually faded as the sun sank below the horizon. Vendors packed up their stalls, children were called home by their mothers, and even stray dogs curled up in corners, emitting soft snores.
Only the lights on the temple spires still burned, swaying uncertainly in the night wind, like a hope that had never been extinguished for six hundred years.
Higashino Makoto didn't sleep.
It's not because he doesn't need sleep.
Although it wasn't actually necessary, he was waiting for someone this time.
He sat in a corner of the hotel lobby on the first floor, with a cup of black tea that had gone cold in front of him.
Kurumi sat next to him, holding a novel she had bought from the Divine Capital Bookstore, her right eye half-closed, and a half-smile playing on her lips.
The black cat "Zafkiel" was curled up on her lap, its tail occasionally swaying, its golden eyes gleaming in the dim candlelight.
Ainz is not here.
He remained in his room on the second floor, maintaining contact with Nazarick using "message" magic.
After all, he was the Overlord, and having been away from his lair for so long, he always wanted to go back and visit from time to time.
Like an elderly person living alone.
Hmm, a lonely Old Bone?
Narberal stood the Unassailable in the doorway of his room, like a statue.
Higashino Makoto picked up his teacup and took a small sip.
The cooled black tea, with a hint of bitterness, melted on his tongue, reminding him of something from long ago—
Perhaps it was in a past life, or perhaps it was much longer ago, those instant coffees I drank.
The same bitterness, the same sobering effect.
"Sir, someone is here."
Kurumi's voice was very soft, so soft that only Higashino Makoto could hear it.
She didn't even put the book down; her right eye remained fixed on the page, as if the sentence was just something she was saying to herself.
Higashino Makoto put down his teacup, his senses extending outwards from the hotel.
A person is walking this way.
Their steps were light and graceful, their breath controlled, carrying a rhythm that only comes from rigorous training.
The door was pushed open.
Leading the way was a woman who looked to be in her early twenties.
Her beige, medium-length hair cascaded over her shoulders, the ends slightly curled, gleaming softly in the candlelight.
She wore round-framed glasses, and behind the lenses were reddish eyes, small but bright, like the afternoon sun in autumn.
Her equipment was completely different from the other members of the Black Scripture —it wasn't armor, it wasn't leather armor, but a set of... Higashino Makoto squinted and looked closely, confirming that he wasn't mistaken.
High school girl uniform.
A reddish-brown suit jacket, a white shirt, a reddish-purple bow tie, a white pleated skirt, black knee-high socks, and a pair of polished brown leather shoes.
He was carrying a handbag and still wore the emblems of the Six Great Gods, but his overall style and uniform were surprisingly harmonious.
What happened to those guys from last time?
Higashino Makoto asked calmly without getting up.
The woman with long beige hair walked up to Higashino Makoto, stopped, and bowed slightly.
"Your senior is on another mission. I'll be handling your liaison tonight."
Her voice was clear and calm, with a clean quality unique to young women.
"I am the seventh seat of the Black Scripture. You may call me 'Thousand Miles Astrologer.' The name doesn't matter, the nickname will do."
"Thousand Miles Astrologer..."
Higashino Makoto repeated the nickname to her, his dark eyes fixed on her, recalling memories of his past life.
I vaguely remember him; wasn't he the one who was terrified by Ainz's Super-Tier Magic?
"Seventh seat?"
"Yes."
Thousand Miles Astrologer straightened up, adjusted his glasses, and stared directly at Higashino Makoto with his crimson eyes.
"Never mind, it doesn't matter. After all, I just need someone of a certain standing to relay a message to me; who that person is doesn't matter."
Higashino Makoto raised an eyebrow slightly.
"So why did you send us from the Black Scripture to find you?"
Thousand Miles Astrologer tilted his head, looking genuinely confused.
"Rest assured, I, the author of the Black Scripture, still hold considerable influence and can provide direct answers to many matters. Of course, if I cannot directly answer your request, I can relay a message to the Cardinal."
Higashino Makoto looked at her for two seconds, then chuckled softly.
"Please sit down."
He pointed to the chair opposite him.
Would you like some tea?
"Thank you, but no need."
Thousand Miles Astrologer sat down opposite him, his back ramrod straight, his hands resting on his knees.
It seems he's still not entirely confident in himself and remains on guard.
Higashino Makoto picked up his teacup, took another sip of the cooled black tea, and a playful smile played on his lips.
"Since your title is 'Thousand Miles Astrologer,' would you like me to do a divination? What brings me here?"
Thousand Miles Astrologer paused for a moment, then shook his head.
"There's no need, please speak frankly. The Cardinal is also curious—what exactly do you and Mr. Momon intend to do in the Slane Theocracy?"
Higashino Makoto put down his teacup, leaned back in his chair, and his golden eyes gleamed in the candlelight.
If my answer is still "look at the scenery," would you believe me?
"Just looking at the scenery? I don't quite believe it."
Thousand Miles Astrologer looked into his eyes for a long time.
Then she took off her glasses, gently wiped the lenses with the corner of her clothes, and put them back on.
The movements were slow and natural, as if giving himself time to think.
"Mr. Higashino, I have read your records in the Holy Kingdom."
She put her glasses back on, and her eyes became brighter than before.
"As a 'Holy Knight,' you saved the Central Fortress from near collapse and repelled tens of thousands of demi-human troops. During your less than a month in the Holy Kingdom, the Holy Queen Calca Besares's ruling style underwent a significant change—shifting from 'consensus' to 'authority.' On the day you left the Holy Kingdom, the Holy Queen wept for a long time in her study in the palace."
Higashino Makoto's expression remained unchanged.
Your intelligence was very accurate.
"This is my job."
There is no humility in the Thousand Miles Astrologer.
"So I'm curious—what exactly do you want to change by coming to Slane Theocracy?"
The room fell silent.
Kurumi turned a page of the book, making a soft rustling sound.
The black cat "Zafkiel" yawned, changed its position, and continued sleeping.
Higashino Makoto remained silent for a long time, so long that Thousand Miles Astrologer thought he wouldn't answer.
Then he spoke.
"I will kill the Elf King."
Thousand Miles Astrologer's pupils contracted slightly.
The two people behind her also moved.
It wasn't an aggressive posture, but rather an instinctive, subconscious tension, as if they had heard something they shouldn't have heard.
"What... did you say?"
The Thousand Miles Astrologer's voice remained calm, but there was a hint of caution in his tone.
"I said, I want to kill the Elf King."
Higashino Makoto repeated himself, his tone so calm it was as if he were saying—
I want to eat breakfast.
"Tomorrow, Momon and I will head to the Elf Kingdom, enter the Great Forest of Evasha, find the Elf King's Royal Capital, and then kill him."
Thousand Miles Astrologer stared at him, his crimson eyes churning with complex emotions.
"Do you know what you're saying? The Elf King is the Eight Greed Kings, and has lived for countless years. His strength far surpasses the Hero Realm. He commands hundreds of the Elf Kingdom warriors, most of whom are his descendants, each approaching the Hero Realm. Even if you and Mr. Momon are exceptionally strong—"
"I know."
Higashino Makoto interrupted her.
"I know."
"Then you should --"
"That's precisely why I'm going, because I know it."
The Thousand Miles Astrologer fell silent.
Higashino Makoto stood up, walked to the window, and opened it. A cool night breeze blew in, ruffling his long, silvery-white hair.
A crescent moon hung in the night sky outside the window, its light spilling onto the streets of the Divine Capital, turning the stone pavement silvery white.
"Thousand Miles Astrologer, do you know how many years this war has lasted?"
Thousand Miles Astrologer was silent for a moment.
More than a hundred years.